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    Home » Recipes » Condiments

    Easy Stewed Plums

    Published: Aug 24, 2020 · Modified: May 30, 2022 by Kate Hackworthy · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe
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    Stewed Plums with cinnamon and brown sugar only take 10 minutes to make with 4 simple ingredients! The plums get beautifully poached and syrupy - perfect served on their own or with ice cream, granola, yogurt and more.

    Bowl of stewed plums.

    Stewed plums from scratch are ready in just 10 minutes with only 4 simple ingredients.

    The soft plum halves are cooked in a brown sugar and orange juice syrup that's infused with cinnamon. The flavors all beautifully complement the sweet fresh poached plums. They're an absolute joy to eat.

    Try stewed plums hot or cold on granola, yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream or just on their own!

    Jump to:
    • Why you’ll love this recipe
    • How to use stewed plums
    • Expert Tips
    • Ingredients and Kitchen Utensils
    • Step by step tutorial
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    You’ll also love my plum compote recipe. It's more of a sauce than stewed plums, which remain chunky halves that you can cut into.

    Stovetop cooked plums are super easy to whip up with just a few affordable ingredients and minimal prep. Plus, it comes together in under 10 minutes.

    I remember eating stewed plums growing up and loving the balance of tartness and sweetness.

    We had lots of plums and I LOVED how flavorful these stovetop stewed ones were! I was pretty much addicted to it on my yogurt in the morning. Ha-ha.

    But this quick stewed plums recipe is just so melt-in-your-mouth GOOD.

    Bowl of cooked plums.

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    A great way to use up seasonal plums
    Freezable
    Ready in minutes
    Three ingredients
    So versatile - try it on yogurt, oatmeal, granola, pancakes, ice cream...
    A fantastic way to use up new season plums that aren't as sweet.
    It's a fresh fruit take on traditional stewed prunes (dried plums).

    How to use stewed plums

    There are SO many great ways to use up stewed plums! Try these variations.

    Use to top vanilla ice cream.
    Serve in a bowl swirled with heavy cream.
    Alongside custard.
    Sprinkle with granola for a deconstructed plum crisp (aka plum crumble).
    Dollop onto yogurt.
    Serve with oatmeal.
    Spoon onto pancakes or Vegan Pancakes.
    Serve at Christmas breakfast for topping waffles, pancakes (perfect on Gingerbread Pancakes), Cinnamon French Toast etc...

    Close up of bowl of poached plum halves.

    Expert Tips

    Keep an eye on the poached plums. If they're firmer they may need to cook a little longer. You want them soft, but not collapsing.

    Try with lemon juice instead of orange juice for more tangy stewed plums.

    Try clementine, satsuma or tangerine juice.

    Some people stew plums whole and then remove the stones, but I don't want any stones lost in the pan so always remove them first.

    Try replacing half the water for red wine for a delicious adult dessert.

    For a festive Christmas dessert, replace half the water with mulled wine.

    Try adding a thumb-sized piece of peeled root ginger, chopped.

    Make it refined-sugar-free by using maple syrup or stevia instead of sugar.

    Try it with homemade vanilla ice cream.

    Ingredients and Kitchen Utensils

    You only need simple ingredients and tools to make a delicious batch of stewed plums!

    Plums - choose ripe plums. If they're a little underripe you may just need to cook them for a few more minutes.

    Sugar - I love using brown sugar, but white sugar works perfectly too!

    Orange juice - try naval oranges, clementines, satsumas or tangerines.

    Cinnamon stick - or use ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon. Optional.

    Kitchen utensils:
    You only need a cutting board and knife to prepare the plums, and a pot and wooden spoon for the cooking.

    Step by step tutorial

    This is a super simple cooked plums recipe. You just need to dissolve the sugar in a little water and orange juice, add the halved, de-stoned plums and poach them for a few minutes until soft!

    Follow this step by step photo tutorial, then scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and method.

    Pot of sugar, water and cinnamon stick.

    Simmer the sugar, water, orange juice and cinnamon stick in a pot over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.

    Cooking plums in a pot.

    Wash, de-stone and halve the plums (leave the skin on).
    Add them to the pot of sugar syrup and simmer for 8-15 minutes or until soft but not mushy.
    TIP: The cooking time will depend on the ripeness of your plums.

    Bowl of cooked plums and a cinnamon stick.
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    📖 Recipe

    Bowl of cooked plums.

    Stewed Plums

    Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts
    Stewed Plums with cinnamon and brown sugar only take 10 minutes to make with 4 simple ingredients! The plums get nicely poached and syrupy.
    4.96 from 21 votes
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    Prep Time 2 mins
    Cook Time 8 mins
    Total Time 10 mins
    Course Condiments, Dessert, Dips and Spreads
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6
    Calories 60 kcal

    Equipment

    • Cutting board
    • Knife
    • Pot

    Ingredients
     

    • 6 plums
    • 4 tablespoons brown sugar or white
    • 3 tablespoons water
    • 2 tablespoons orange juice
    • 1 cinnamon stick optional

    Instructions
     

    • Wash, de-stone and halve the plums (leave the skin on).
    • Place the sugar, water, orange juice and cinnamon stick into a medium-sized pot over a medium heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
    • Add the plums and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the fruit is soft and begins to break down. Keep an eye on it as very ripe plums will cook faster and will get mushier. You want the plums to still be intact, but be soft and cooked through.
    • Remove and discard the cinnamon stick.
    • Enjoy hot or cold. Delicious on ice cream, yogurt, pancakes, waffles etc... Get creative with the stewed plums.

    Video

    Notes

    • Try replacing half the water for red wine for a delicious dessert.
    • For a festive Christmas dessert, replace half the water with mulled wine.
    • Swap the lemon juice for orange or clementine juice.
    • Try adding a thumb-sized piece of peeled root ginger, chopped.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 60kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 201IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg

    The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Wendy McPeake

      January 17, 2023 at 5:25 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy. I used lemon juice as I didn't have orange. The cinnamon is nice. I had to add a bit more water and cook longer.

      Reply
    2. Sandra

      April 10, 2022 at 1:59 am

      5 stars
      I used iced lemon tea I also use tea to cook my prunes also very nice recipe

      Reply
    3. Suz Crew

      October 08, 2021 at 8:00 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy recipe. They over cook quickly so be careful. I added ½cups of walnuts. Perfect on vanilla bean ice cream.

      Reply
    4. Wendy

      January 28, 2021 at 10:50 pm

      5 stars
      I love this recipe because it is very quick & you can be creative & it tastes very yummy & my Husband loes it with Satuma plums with lemon juice. Last time I didn't have orange or lemo juice, so I used apple juice it was still yummy.

      Reply
    5. kim

      August 25, 2020 at 7:11 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe was fabulous! It was super easy and so delicious. My whole family enjoyed and I'll definitely be making again!

      Reply
    6. rika

      August 24, 2020 at 7:34 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a fabulous idea! Thanks for sharing the complete tutorial and tips! So useful! I love plums!

      Reply
    7. Jessica Formicola

      August 24, 2020 at 7:23 pm

      5 stars
      Plums are my favorite, and this recipe looks amazing! I can't wait to try it!

      Reply
    8. Toni Dash

      August 24, 2020 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for the tips! I love how easy it is to make!!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

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    Kate Hackworthy in the kitchen

    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

    Collage of press logos.

    Popular recipes

    • The BEST Easy Red Lentil Dahl
    • Easy Naan Bread Recipe (yeast-free)
    • Mini Baked Potatoes
    • Easy Lentil Soup

    Easter Recipes

    • Easter Rice Krispie Nests
    • Italian Easter Bread (Pane di Pasqua)
    • Mushroom Wellington
    • Nut Roast

    My cookbook

    Veggie Desserts and Cakes Cookbook cover.

    Check out my Veggie Desserts Cookbook, full of tasty desserts with vegetables!

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